Marvel Comics is one of the leading publishers of comic books (see entry under 1930s—Print Culture in volume 2) and boasts some of the most popular characters in the superhero genre (category). Such figures as Spider-Man (see entry under 1960s—Print Culture in volume 4), Captain America (see entry under 1940s—Print Culture in volume 3), the Incredible Hulk, Daredevil, the Fantastic Four, the Silver Surfer, and the X-Men have filled the pages of Marvel comic books. Publisher Martin Goodman (1908–1992) founded the company as Timely Comics in 1939. In the 1960s, the company, renamed Marvel Comics, revolutionized the comic-book industry and set the standard for superhero storytelling for decades.

During the 1940s, Timely Comics was a second-string comic-book publisher that lagged far behind DC Comics. DC Comics covered the exploits of many popular superheroes like Superman, Batman (see these two entries under 1930s—Print Culture in volume 2), and Wonder...